U.C. county mayors, execs not seeking regional mask mandate

While it was recently reported that several of the county mayors in the Upper Cumberland region were considering the possibility of a regional mask mandate, White County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said he fears there may be some misunderstanding with that statement.

“I’m not implying that I want it to be regional,” Robinson said, clarifying a statement he had made that may have led some people to believe he was in favor of requesting that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee issue a regional mandate. “I’m just saying that it isn’t feasible for one county in this region to have a mandate without the others.”

Robinson went on to say he believes that mask mandates will not be effective in the mobile society that exists in Tennessee’s more rural communities.

“The governor has given counties the authority to mandate masks, but there is no way to enforce this should we choose to do so,” he said. “I talked to the district attorney; he assures me that he is not going to charge people with a criminal offense for not wearing a mask.”

Robinson indicated it would be impractical to devote any type of staff, officials, or officers to pursue residents or visitors who weren’t wearing face coverings.

“I’m not issuing a mask mandate in White County,” he said, repeating the stance he took earlier this fall. “We are a mobile society with people moving about large spaces as they go to work, shop, go to the doctor, just go about their daily lives.”

Robinson did say that at the regular meetings held between the 14 Upper Cumberland county mayors, the feasibility of such a mandate has been discussed, but most understand that it is likely going to remain an individual decision rather than a government issued mandate.

“There are three lines of thought among the mayors,” Robinson said. “There are a few of us that say ‘no, we aren’t going to do this unless something drastically changes,’ and there are a few that would probably support a regional mandate if everyone was on board. There are a few more who would support the decision if the governor came in and made the decision for us.”

Van Buren County Mayor Greg Wilson is in the second group of mayors that Robinson mentioned.

“First and foremost, if the Upper Cumberland county mayors want to do that we will go in line,” Wilson said. “But I don’t think it will come to that. The majority don’t seem to want that.”

While a report was publicized that Van Buren County would begin enforcing a mask mandate around the Thanksgiving holiday, Wilson said that report was incorrect.

“I said that if I was going to do one, that would be the time I would look at,” he clarified. “But we are not going to enforce a mask mandate here in Van Buren County.”

Wilson did say he would like to consider a mandate for indoor sporting events, but, that at this time, there were no mandates at all in his county.

“With the basketball season getting started, I think we could enforce a mask mandate at games where people will be closer than they would be if they were outside or moving around,” he said.

Both Wilson and Robinson encouraged their constituents to think responsibly and stay safe.

“If you’re in public, in a building, wear a mask,” Wilson said. “That’s what I would advise.”

“Avoid crowds, maintain social distancing when you can’t,” Robinson advised. “If you are in an at-risk category, be vigilant.”

While both mayors had advice and both are concerned about the welfare of their communities, neither seem to think that a regional mask mandate will be coming soon but rather that the responsibility lies with the individual residents and visitors within each community.